Single Window Coach and other new cars coming from MTL

[chessie system fan]

A late PS1 is fantastic news!  I hope you decide on a ten foot door version with a PS door.  I've wanted one of those for years.

Will this be new tooling with proper prototypical proportions, or simply a rework of the current model?

This is the big question.  If it is to be an accurate model, there's very little from the current version that can be used.  The whole car is stretched to accommodate sliding doors. You can see this in the upper door track area.  That part is much too wide.  To me, this error is worse than the whimsical bottom of the car because it's not correctable.  Consequently, I don't see how the sides could be reused.  The ends are stretched because of the sides, and the rib pattern is for an early model anyway and slightly different than a later version proposed.  So those will need replacing.  Also, having correct sides will almost assuredly mean that all door castings will need the rear sliding part lowered.     

So what all this means is that an accurate model would have to be all new (though maybe the roof could be reused?).  To me, accuracy is most important.  And not only that, if the new car isn't as good as the competition and only marginally better than what you've already got, why bother at all?  If this new car matches easily available plans (Mainline Modeler did a GM&O version along with a few others) then I will be buying many of them.  If it doesn't, then I'll just keep on modifying the old yet proportional MDC cars like I've done for years and avoid the MT PS cars like I've also done for years.

All that said, if this is a new model I have very high hopes. These cars have been ripe for replacement for some time and it's good you're replacing them before someone else does.  It really makes me wish I was on the planning committee for these.  There are so many possible variations but at the same time these cars were designed to be modular.  With the proper planning it should be possible to model all the variations with a minimum of tooling.

And balloon roofs!  If you really want to increase your sales I would recommend making a roof for the B&O coaches like what B&O did to theirs.   

 

[jmlaboda]

yes- all Wabash coaches were originally paired window?

Yes, all were paired window originally.

How do these upcoming cars compare with CB&Q 7100 series commuter cars?

On the Burlington's suburban coaches all windows were gathered together from door to door with very little space between the outer windows and the doors... for a total of 25 windows per side...

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/cbq7107.jpg

[thomasjmdavis]

And balloon roofs!  If you really want to increase your sales I would recommend making a roof for the B&O coaches like what B&O did to theirs.

This might be a perfect opportunity for one of the several high quality resin casters out there (not to knock RP, but a resin roof would save a lot of prep and sanding time).  Betterment roof, various types of AC ducting, etc. (and/or SEAC equipment and hatches for those of us so inclined)

That said, as it looks like MT will be bringing out balloon roofs, I wonder if a non-AC roof might not also be a popular product.  Academic question for me, personally, since all the trains I model carried AC'ed coaches and sleepers.

[Denver Road Doug]

OK, so I'll bite....regarding the Z-Scale Business car....is this along the same lines as the Kato one in N?    If so, put me down for a BNSF "Gerald Grinstein" Swoosh-era and/or BNSF "Mississippi River" Circle Logo era car.  Probably the latter but either would work and I would probably buy both if they were done.  (I model right about the time the new scheme was applied so either would be legit depending on what day it was.    )

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[thomasjmdavis]

Nothing announced but don't rule anything out.  There are slews of Pullmans that they yet might do now that they have filled out some of the other offerings... hopefully a 6-3 will be a part of what yet will be offered.

Let me say first that what follows is just armchair market analysis, heavily influenced by what I want.  Micro-trains has done a great job with the cars they have produced so far, and I am grateful they took on passenger cars- they filled a need that existed in N scale for decades.  Like a lot of folks, I just want MORE styles of these high quality/ good value cars to be made available.

It does strike me as odd that the AZL line of Z scale passenger cars, which substantially parallels MT offerings, includes both an 8-1-2 and a 6-3, and has for several years, but these remain unavailable in N scale.  You would think that with the popularity of both the current MT heavyweight line, and the success that Kato has had with 1950s era streamline cars, that the 8-1-2 and 6-3, which were still in use on prominent trains (at least ones I model) well into the 1950s, would prove popular with modelers.  Frankly, I was surprised that they brought out a 12-1 before bringing out one of those 2 cars, but then, I wanted those cars more than a 12-1, so that preference no doubt "informed" my opinion.

I keep hoping that Roberto will find some time to make up the 6-1-2 Tribe sides, so the 12-1s I have could be used for their intended purpose )ie- cores for those cars).

That said, I think there could well be a market for many Pullman variations, especially the various cars rebuilt in the 40s and 50s ("Tower" 6-4-4 comes to mind), that may be too small a demand to justify injection molding, but would justify etched sides or resin kits, or RP parts.  Hopefully, we will see more cars available in the future.

Tom D

[coosvalley]

So there hasn't been a clear answer...Will the 50 foot boxcars be NEW tooling, or older (and "smished") boxcar bodies on more correct underframes?

[bbussey]

If the answer isn't forthcoming before Springfield, I will get a definitive answer on the boxcar in 10 days and advise.  I will be with them at a social function on Friday night.

[unittrain]

I compared my MTL 50' plug door boxcar body to the Athearn plug door boxcar and they are the same height, so are they both compressed? I know the MTL rib side boxcars and 60' by cubes are compressed but not sure about the PS-1. Would like to see the combination door PS-1 from MTL.

[gbcaboose]

I don't have any in front of me but it think the bodies are about the same. The underframe on the Athearn car sits deeper into the shell so the car rides lower. The MTL underframe is closer to being flush with the body sides causing it to ride higher.

I think some of the dimensions on the sliding door cars are off due to the oversized door track among other things.

Mike

[gbcaboose]

Actually a little closer than I remembered. Athearn on the left, MTL on the right.  I also see that what I thought was a "No roofwalk" decal is actually an "Excess Height" decal  .

[bbussey]

You can see in the photo that the MTL car is taller than the Athearn car. The Athearn car rides high, but the body is proportionally correct.

[Mark5]

Apparently the NYC had their single window coaches built with both six wheel and four wheel trucks:

Trucks were spaced 54' on centers. Both four- and six-wheel trucks (the Central had several different classes of each of the two types) were used when the cars were first built. Most early lots were equipped with six-wheel trucks, as was customary for steel cars at the time. Later lots generally came equipped with four-wheel trucks, because they were less expensive than the six-wheel variety and performed satisfactorily in service. Company records show that each lot of coaches was generally equipped with the same type and class of truck when built, except when the railroad provided second-hand trucks to the carbuilder. Then different classes and/or types of trucks sometimes appeared in a given lot. During shopping in later years, four· and six-wheel trucks were freely switched among cars built prior to 1923. It was also common to switch truck classes within a given type, i.e., four- or six-wheel, for all cars. However, once a car was ACed, only four-wheel trucks were used.

I am quoting the work of John S Horvath & Richard L Stoving.
Located here:

https://nycshs.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/nycheavyweightcoacharticle.pdf

@Shipsure

Mark

[Lenny53]

Re:  Kato quality Big Dome

Centralia Car Shops are releasing a super dome in 2017

http://www.intermountain-railway.com/distrib/ccs/html/ccs7112.htm

[thomasjmdavis]

Centralia Car Shops are releasing a super dome in 2017

http://www.intermountain-railway.com/distrib/ccs/html/ccs7112.htm

Well, yes. they are.  I guess I needed to be more specific, but in ATSF parlance, "big domes" are the 1954 Budd versions delivered for the El Capitan and San Francisco Chief, and later used on Kansas Cityan and Chief.  While Bachmann has had a version of this car available for the last half century, the tooling is nowhere near modern standards and was modeled after cars modified for use on the Auto Train.

[jmlaboda]

I am quoting the work of John S Horvath & Richard L Stoving.
Located here:

https://nycshs.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/nycheavyweightcoacharticle.pdf

Thanks so much, Mark, for sharing this link... definitely a valuable resource!!!

Centralia Car Shops are releasing a super dome in 2017

http://www.intermountain-railway.com/distrib/ccs/html/ccs7112.htm

This was announced some months back... so is Kato.  I suspect that if the Kato car isn't readily available for those who want to model second-hand owners (especially so CN) then modelers may choose to use the Centralia car... but I'll bet that its not going to be as nice as the Kato car.

Now if only we can get the ATSF Big Dome, GN Great Dome and Espee ¾ dome... then we will be living in Nirvana...